The Scavenger Hunt
by The Mouse Avenger
Summary: Cornelius has planned a big surprise for his pupils, but before they can find out what it is, the Furlings have a very interesting school assignment to complete first...Read & review, but no flames, please!
**THE SCAVENGER HUNT
** A " _Once Upon A Forest_ " Fanfiction By The Mouse Avenger

It was a wonderful day in Dapplewood Forest (as was usually the case). The trees, flowers, & other plants were blooming & bursting with life, & all the animal residents cheerfully went about their daily business without a single care in the world. The same could be said for Abigail The Woodmouse, her adoptive brother Willy, Russell The Hedgehog, Edgar The Mole, Waggs & Fuschia The Squirrels, & Bosworth The Wren, all of whom were making their way to the hill where their school was located. As they walked through the forest together, the seven Furlings chatted animatedly with one another.

"Did you hear?" Russell asked his friends, looking at them with excitement in his brown eyes. "Cornelius has a big surprise planned for us today!"

"What could it be?" Fuschia wondered aloud, clasping her paws together in anticipation.

"I dunno," Abigail declared confidently, "but I'll bet it's gonna be something really cool!"

"Cornelius' surprises usually are," Edgar couldn't help but remark with a knowing smile.

It wasn't long before the Furlings finally reached the hill, & approached the large oak tree where their teacher Cornelius resided, along with his niece Michelle. The youngest Furling was gleefully ringing the school bell, & even when her older friends had already shown up, she couldn't seem to stop! She just loved ringing that bell every morning!

"Michelle," Abigail chuckled as she went to help her tiny friend let go of the bell rope, "you can stop your ringing now! We're all here!"

Michelle's enthusiasm, however, could not be contained, & she skipped over to her friends, the hem of her pink dress flouncing up & down as she did so. "Hey, guys!" Michelle greeted excitedly, before continuing at an increasingly-fast speed, "It's so great to see you! You'll never guess what Uncle Cornelius told me this morning, I'll betcha! He said that he has an awesome-saucesome surprise planned for all of us, & it's gonna be something really cool, but I can't tell you about it, 'cause then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore!" After pausing to take a long, deep breath, Michelle exclaimed enthusiastically, "But whatever it is, I can't wait to see it!"

"Us neither, Michelle!" Russell agreed with a nod, as Abigail went over to open the front door of Cornelius' house. All 8 Furlings then proceeded to merrily make their way through the entry tunnel, before stopping at the bottom of the adjoining stairwell that led into the main room of the building. Cornelius was already waiting for his prized pupils at his desk, his paws clasped together in front of him. "Good morning, Furlings," Cornelius greeted with his usual kindly smile.

"Good morning, Cornelius," the Furlings all echoed genially.

"So, I suppose you're all dying to find out what today's big surprise is!" Cornelius said eagerly, his eyes twinkling in their sockets, as he got up from his seat to approach the Furlings. When the children all uttered their replies, Cornelius adjusted his glasses, & continued, "Well, you'll all get to see it...after you do this assignment!"

Upon hearing this, the Furlings all groaned in disappointment, & their cheerful countenances quickly turned into frowns. "Aw, gee!" Waggs pouted, irritatedly crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We come all this way just to do boring old classwork?!"

"This isn't just _any_ assignment," Cornelius was quick to assure the Furlings, perking their spirits up again. "Today, we're going to do..."-he paused for dramatic effect-"...a scavenger hunt!"

The Furlings simply couldn't contain their excitement when they heard the news! Gleefully bouncing up & down, Michelle cheered, "Yippee! A scavenger hunt!"

"This shall be most awesome!" Bosworth declared in delight.

"Yeah!" Russell exclaimed eagerly. "I can't wait to get started!"

"Wonderful!" Cornelius said, before handing out several copies of written-upon paper to each of the Furlings. "These are lists of all the items that you'll be looking for; be sure to search every nook & cranny of Dapplewood, for they could be hidden anywhere!"

"Will do!" Abigail said, as she took her own copy of the scavenger hunt list. Poring over the contents of the paper, she remarked, "Boy, what a line-up we've got here!" Everyone's list has the same set of items that needed to be collected: a stuffed animal, a tea kettle, a magnifying glass, a book, a pestle & mortar, a picnic basket, a music box, a blanket, rare gemstones, a Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing model, a hammer, a sundial, jump rope, a box of crayons, a fishing rod, & a framed photograph.

After all of the Furlings had finished looking at their lists, they glanced up at Cornelius to await further instructions. "Now, then," Cornelius told his students, "to make the scavenger hunt even _more_ fun, we're all going to split up into small teams!" The Furlings all lined up,  & stood at attention, waiting to hear more. "Abigail, you team up with Willy," Cornelius said. "Russell, you team up with Waggs. Edgar, you team up with Fuschia. And last, but certainly not least, my dear Michelle..."

"Yes, Uncle Cornelius?" Michelle asked sweetly, striking a cute pose.

"You team up with Bosworth!" Cornelius declared. Once all of the Furlings had joined up with their respective partners, Cornelius finally announced, "All right, then, the preparations are finished! Let the scavenger hunt begin!"

* * *

Once they had all gone outside, the Furlings split up with their partners, setting off in four different directions. Abigail & Willy, traveling northwards, started their leg of the search in the "backyard" of Cornelius' house, where Cornelius had set up a playground for his pupils. Right away, the two woodmice began inspecting every piece of playground equipment for the first item on their list. They looked all over the sandbox, the seesaw, the slide, the merry-go-round, the hobby horses, the jungle gym, & the playhouse, but that elusive stuffed animal was nowhere to be found.

"Well," Abigail sighed sardonically as she went to sit on one of the playground swings, "this is sure going well so far." She then began rocking back & forth on said swing, much to Willy's surprise.

"You're not giving up on the first try, are you?" Willy asked incredulously, going over to sit by Abigail on an adjacent swing.

"Of course not!" Abigail replied with her usual confidence. "I'm just thinking to myself." Then, more to herself than to Willy, the tomboy wondered aloud, "Hmm...now, where could that stuffed animal be? I'm sure it's around here somewhere..."

As Abigail continued swinging, she didn't notice a rustling sound coming from the tree branches above her...but Willy did! "Hey, Abigail," Willy told his adoptive sister, "I hear something making noises over the swingset! Think we should check it out?"

"Wouldn't hurt to take a look-see," Abigail answered affirmatively, hopping down onto the grass, & carefully scaling her way up the swinging tree. Willy watched in amazement as Abigail effortlessly climbed into the tree's boughs, before balancing on top of them like an experienced tightrope walker. After circling the top of the tree, & stepping onto the branch that the swings were dangling from, Abigail only had to turn once to her left...& found an empty bird's nest nestled in the crook of the limb. Well, not quite empty-there was something hiding in it. And when Abigail went to take a closer look at the object, her emerald eyes lit up in pleasant surprise-it was the stuffed animal she & Willy had been looking for all along!

Carefully picking up the toy, & holding it in her paws, Abigail looked down at Willy with a triumphant smile. "One item down, 15 more to go!" the adventurous woodmouse declared jubilantly, before climbing back down the tree with the stuffed animal, & joining up with Willy. As soon as they both crossed off the first item on their lists, the two siblings knew that the rest of the scavenger hunt would be a piece of cake!

* * *

Meanwhile, Russell & Waggs had both gone in a southerly direction from Cornelius' house, & they were currently traveling down one of the many trails through Dapplewood Forest. With his trusty knapsack strapped to his back, Russell was looking carefully at everything on either side of the road, occasionally going over to inspect something of particular interest. Waggs, however, only sulked & griped about how much he hated working with his partner. "Why couldn't Cornelius pick Fuschia as my partner, instead?" the teenage squirrel complained, kicking the dirt path in irritation. "After all, she's my sister! I'd much rather hang out with her all day, than with a dumb hedgehog who can't stop thinking about food every minute!"

Russell did his best to ignore Waggs, but it wasn't easy. Only the task of finding items could distract the boy from his growing frustration, & so he kept searching everywhere for any of the objects on his list. At one point, Russell & Waggs came upon a large mushroom patch, & they decided to browse through it. As the two Furlings foraged the fungi for items, Russell couldn't help but notice the appetizing smell of all those fly agaric...He was tempted to take one mushroom, just one...

As soon as he saw Russell reaching for one of the red-&-white caps, Waggs pointed an accusatory finger, & shouted, " _A-_ _HA_ _!_ I knew you wouldn't be able to hold back from chowing on those 'shrooms! Just like a hedgehog, always listening to your stomach!"

"You know what, Waggs?" Russell finally snapped, unable to mask his anger anymore. "You'd make this a whole lot easier for us if you just kept your big, bigoted mouth..."-he yanked off his backpack, & gave Waggs a good whack in the face with it-" _SHUT!_ "

Even when his nose started bleeding a little from the impact of Russell's swing, Waggs stood still in absolute astonishment-never before had anyone stood up to him with such ferocity, such rage! After a few moments, though, Waggs quickly got over his stunned stupor, & went back to his usual bullying ways. "Hey," the squirrel said with a sarcastic smile, "that was a pretty good shot...for a burr-back!"

"Whatever," Russell retorted with a scoff & a roll of his eyes, before going back to searching the mushroom patch for any items. While wading through the sea of 'shrooms, however, Russell hit his foot against a hard, heavy object, & he let out a cry of pain. "Ouch!" Russell said, reaching down to tend to his injury. "What the heck did I just kick?" Russell's question was soon answered when his eyes were drawn to a large ceramic vessel lying right in front of his toes. When Russell bent down to pick up the object, he took a closer look at it...& recognized it right away! It was a tea kettle-one of the items on the scavenger hunt list!

Unable to resist smirking in smug satisfaction, Russell called out to his partner, "Hey, Waggs, you're gonna call me a genius when you see what I found!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Edgar & Fuschia were traveling together in an eastward direction from Cornelius' house. The mole & the squirrel presently paraded down a path through part of Dapplewood Meadow, where a tall willow tree grew on the side of the road (to their left). Stopping for a moment to look at said tree, Edgar felt a wave of pleasant memories washing over him, & he smiled in blissful reverie. "Fuschia," Edgar asked his partner, "did I ever tell you about the ramble we went on two days before we met you?"

"I don't think so," Fuschia replied, going over to stand by Edgar's side in front of the willow. "Tell me all about it!"

"OK," Edgar said. "So, on the morning of that bad gas accident, Cornelius was taking Abigail, Russell, Michelle, & me on a field trip through the forest. We were learning about plants, & how everything we need grows right here at home. At one point, we all stopped by this very willow tree, & Cornelius asked us questions about it. When I gave the correct answers, Cornelius gave me a little piece of bark from the willow as a gift."

"That's neat!" Fuschia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with fascination.

"But you wanna know what's even neater?" Edgar asked with a proud smile. "When the Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing crashed on our way back from Oakdale, I used the piece of bark to figure out where we had landed! And, lo & behold..."-he gestured to the Y-shaped indentation where he had re-inserted the bark on the willow's trunk-"...it was a perfect fit!"

"My gosh," Fuschia marveled in deep admiration, "you're even _more_ clever than I ever could have imagined!" Edgar was thunderstruck when Fuschia suddenly ran up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck,  & pulled him in close for a big kiss! The bespectacled mole's cheeks turned a bright pink, & he was filled with a warm, fuzzy, & very wonderful feeling inside-the feeling of pure, sweet affection. When Fuschia finally finished kissing Edgar, she gently broke away from their embrace, but still held his small pink paws in her own golden ones. Looking at Edgar with tender love in her eyes, Fuschia said dreamily, "You know, I'm so caught up in this moment, I forgot what we were doing earlier..."

"Going on the scavenger hunt," Edgar replied simply.

"Right!" Fuschia gasped, springing back into action. "Of course!" And, so, Edgar & Fuschia began looking around the willow tree for any of the items on their list. On the north side of the trunk, soft green moss covered the bark like a carpet, obscuring most of the actual wood from view. Rubbing his paw across the bark as he searched the area around him, Edgar didn't notice anything unusual at first...until he felt a peculiar sensation on the trunk-something that was definitely new, & definitely artificial. Adjusting his glasses, & leaning in to take a closer look at the foreign thing he had touched, Edgar saw that a niche had been delicately carved into the wood of the willow tree, with a large object placed in its hollow recesses.

"Did you find anything?" Fuschia asked Edgar, skipping over to her partner.

"I think so," Edgar replied, pointing to the object in the niche. "Let's see if we can pry it out."

With the help of a flat pebble, Edgar & Fuschia managed to free the item loose, & it landed on the grass with a gentle thud. Picking up the trinket in his paws, Edgar looked it over...& his face lit up in excitement when he realized what it was! He & Fuschia had found the magnifying glass-one of the items on their checklists!

The two Furlings could hardly contain their giddiness as they prepared to update their scavenger hunt catalogues...& as Fuschia kept showering him with compliments, Edgar found it harder & harder to keep himself from gushing & blushing! So in love was he with his pretty squirrel playmate, that the mere sound of her voice sent his heart into a tizzy!

* * *

Meanwhile, Michelle & Bosworth were walking in a westward direction from Cornelius' house. The young badger & wren made their way into one of Dapplewood Forest's many residential neighborhoods, where Bosworth lived with his mother Angel & uncle Phineas. Michelle was rather perplexed by the unexpected detour, & she asked her partner, "Why are we going to your house, Bosworth?"

"Well, Cornelius said to search everywhere in Dapplewood for the items," Bosworth replied, "so I thought we should check out the church. I want to let Mom & Uncle Phineas know before we look there, though."

Within a few minutes, Michelle & Bosworth both reached the front door of the Wren family's house, & Michelle politely went forward to knock. Almost immediately, Bosworth's mother came out to see who had come calling...& imagine her surprise when she saw her son & his friend standing in the threshold! "Bosworth," Angel exclaimed, "don't tell me you're playing hooky!"

"Of course not, Mom," Bosworth answered dutifully. "We're going on a scavenger hunt today!"

"Oh, I see!" Angel said with a hearty laugh. "So, what brings you here on your quest, young 'uns?"

"We were thinking we might stop by the church, & see if Cornelius hid anything there," Bosworth explained. "If it's OK with you, I mean."

"Why, of course!" Angel replied cheerfully. "You know you're always welcome in God's house! After all, like the Good Book says: 'Ask, & you shall receive; seek, & you shall find!'"

"Cool! Thanks, Mama!" Bosworth chirped pleasantly, before going off with Michelle in the direction of the church. As luck would have it, Phineas happened to be in the sanctuary at this very moment, & when he saw his two little visitors, his face lit up with joy! Unfortunately, Bosworth had to cut the usual greetings short: "Sorry, Uncle Phineas, but we can't stay too long. We're doing a scavenger hunt today, & we've got a lot of ground to cover."

"No worries, kids," Phineas responded in his usual easygoing manner. "If there's anything you think might be in here, feel free to look around!"

"Thank you very much, Phineas," Michelle said sweetly, giving the preacher bird a hug & kiss to show her appreciation. Then, Michelle & Bosworth began to explore the sanctuary, checking every nook & cranny for any of the items on their scavenger hunt lists. After several minutes of fruitless searching, Michelle mused, "You know, Bosworth, one thing we're s'posed to be looking for, is a book. Maybe, Uncle Cornelius put it at the back of one of the pews."

"Good idea, Michelle!" Bosworth said. "Let's see if it works!"

And, so, Michelle & Bosworth proceeded to inspect each pew in the sanctuary, carefully scrutinizing the cover & contents of every hymnal & Bible they found. When the two began browsing the back rows of seats, Michelle quickly noticed that one of the books wasn't of the same size or color as its mates. A closer inspection confirmed Michelle's suspicions when she saw the front of the tome; one look at the title was all that was needed to send Michelle scampering off to Bosworth to report her findings.

Showing her feathered friend what she had picked up, a proud Michelle announced, "Guess who just found Uncle Cornelius' favoritest book?"

* * *

Abigail sprinted down the forest path as fast as her feet could carry her, her green eyes glaring in determination as she raced towards the destination that lay just a few yards ahead. "Come on, Willy," the tomboy cheered, "we're almost there!"

"Right behind you, Abigail!" Willy called back, carrying the stuffed animal & scavenger hunt lists in a makeshift satchel he had fashioned out of woven leaves. With that bag, carrying the items around would certainly be a lot easier!

In a few short minutes, Abigail & Willy finally got to their next stopping point-the site of the Furlings' favorite treehouse. "I've got a good feeling that Cornelius hid one of the items in here," Abigail declared confidently, as she & Willy hopped into the basket elevator, & rode upwards to the first floor of the building. After stepping out onto the landing, the two woodmice made their way into the main room of the treehouse, & began searching for any of the objects on their list. With all of the myriad decorations, furniture, & miscellaneous other things lying around the treehouse, there were a lot of places to look!

First, Abigail & Willy started out by looking at all of the furniture. They inspected all of the toy chests, bookcases, shelves, cabinets, tables, desks, & seating equipment, but found nothing of interest. Undaunted, Abigail & Willy carried on with their search, & proceeded to scrutinize the decorations...but, alas, not a single item was to be found among the posters, pictures, wall hangings, sculptures, or other ornaments in the room! To make things even more frustrating for Abigail & Willy, none of the scavenger hunt items were hiding among the various toys, games, books, art supplies, musical instruments, costumes, play equipment, or other objects that lay around the treehouse.

"Well, if we didn't have any luck looking here," Abigail finally decided, "we're sure to find something on the upper floor."

"Something tells me you're right, Abigail," Willy said, following his sister up the stairs to the second story of the treehouse. On this level, everything was decorated in an interesting hybrid of pirate, explorer, & superhero themes, with a deck-style balcony looking out into the forest. A tall mast rose up through the rooftop, with a crow's nest positioned near its upper end. Thinking this would be a good place to start looking for scavenger hunt items, Abigail deftly climbed up the mast, & crawled into the crow's nest...only to find nothing.

A frustrated Abigail stomped her foot, & shouted, "Dang it! How hard can it be to find just one simple thing around here?"

"Did you try looking _above_ the crow's nest?" Willy asked, scouting the balcony for any items.

"No, I didn't!" Abigail realized, swacking her forehead in self-reproachment. "How silly of me!" With that, Abigail cast her gaze upward, & saw something lying on the very top of the mast. The little woodmouse reached up to grab the object, & upon taking it into her paws, she examined it carefully. It didn't take long for Abigail to discover that she had found another one of the items on the scavenger hunt list-the pestle & mortar!

"So, did you find anything?" Willy called out.

"I sure did!" Abigail told her brother with a big smile. "Thanks, Willy! You just saved me a lot of trouble!"

* * *

"Come on, Russell, hurry up! We don't have all day!"

Once again, Waggs was being a pain in the rear, & Russell's patience was growing thinner & thinner by the second. _Please let me find another item soon,_ Russell begged inwardly, _before I do anything I'm gonna regret later!_

Russell & Waggs were now making their way through Dapplewood Thicket, with tall grass surrounding them on every side. It was a veritable jungle in these parts, & Russell had to push aside the thick foliage with a stick he had picked up before going in. But if the hedgehog's gut instincts were right, he & Waggs were _sure_ to find one of the scavenger hunt items nearby! It had to be around here somewhere...

"Just bear with me for a few more minutes, Waggs," Russell tried to encourage his partner. "I promise, we'll be out of here as soon as we..." Suddenly, Russell stopped, & began to sniff the air. Something sure smelled delicious, & the appetizing aroma was simply impossible to ignore! With his mouth watering in excitement, Russell took off in the direction that the smell was coming from...much to Waggs' annoyance.

"Here we go again!" Waggs grumbled to himself, as he went after Russell. If this scavenger hunt kept going any slower, Russell was going to have _more_ than his ego bruised at the end of the day!

Before too long, Russell found the source of the delectable scent-a picnic basket! The hungry hedgehog quickly dashed over to the container, & opened the lid to reveal its contents: pieces of bark, leaves, mushrooms, cherries, apples, grapes, acorns, & all kinds of berries & nuts! Before he could stop himself, Russell was already helping himself to the food, gobbling it down as though he'd been starving for months.

Waggs stormed over to Russell, his expression a mixed mask of irritation & disgust. "Before you get any fatter than you already are," the squirrel said contemptuously, "you might wanna check that picnic basket off the scavenger hunt list."

Upon hearing that sentence, Russell immediately stopped eating...& the wheels in his head started turning again. "Oh, right, I forgot about that!" Russell exclaimed, before digging out his copy of the scavenger hunt list, & updating it accordingly. "Sorry, Waggs, I don't know what I was thinking!"

"Me, neither," Waggs replied with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

Edgar froze in apprehension as he stood in front of the hollow log, gazing timidly into the darkness ahead. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Fuschia?" the mole asked his partner, wringing his scarf in his paws nervously.

"Don't worry," Fuschia reassured Edgar with a kiss on the cheek. "You'll be just fine!"

"Well, OK," Edgar said, feeling his courage return to him. "Let's go, then!" Gesturing to the interior of the log with a sweeping bow, Edgar said politely, "After you, Fuschia!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Fuschia insisted sweetly. "After _you_ , Edgar!"

"All right," Edgar replied, doing his best to remain brave as he stepped into the deep, dark void. Ordinarily, he would have either bolted for relative safety, or let his friends go ahead of him, but when he was with Fuschia, he felt as though he could take on the world! Whether she knew it or not, Fuschia had a great talent of bringing out a side of Edgar that his other friends couldn't seem to do-Heaven knew why!

Carefully maneuvering through the hollow log, Edgar & Fuschia looked around for any of the items on their scavenger hunt list. The light coming from outside provided the smallest illumination for the two Furlings to see by, which helped them out a little. Also, thank goodness Edgar had his glasses, or he would have- _OOF!_ Before he knew what was happening, the young mole let out a cry as he tripped  & fell onto the grass, landing with a thud.

"Are you OK, Edgar?" Fuschia asked in concern, going over to see if her partner was unharmed.

"I think so," Edgar replied, slowly getting back onto his feet. "Something on the ground made me slip." Squatting down to pick up the object he had stumbled over, Edgar mused thoughtfully, "Hmm, I wonder what this is..."

"Let's go outside, & get a better look at it," Fuschia suggested, & the two Furlings did just that. Now, out in the open sunlight, Edgar & Fuschia could see the object more clearly. It was a beautiful, brilliantly-painted box decorated with ornate jewels & carvings, with a wind-up key on its side. When Edgar turned the key, a tinny tune flowed forth from the box, gracing his & Fuschia's ears with the loveliest sound they had ever heard!

"It's so pretty," Fuschia sighed admiringly, gazing at the music box with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Well, we've found another one of the items on our list," Edgar said, gently putting the music box down on the ground. "Let's check it off, & keep going from here."

"Could we wait until the song finishes first?" was all Fuschia had to say in reply.

* * *

The waters of Dapplewood River sparkled splendidly in the sunshine, as the current flowed gently in the spring breeze. Michelle & Bosworth were walking along the river's edge, looking around for any items that might be in the area.

"Do you see anything, Michelle?" Bosworth asked, to which Michelle replied, "Nope, not yet!"

By this point, Bosworth & Michelle were getting a little tired, & they decided to rest for a while. Sitting down on the sandy shores of the stream, the two little Furlings relaxed, & quietly enjoyed the peaceful scenery together.

"It sure is a pretty day today!" Michelle remarked happily, & Bosworth nodded his head in agreement. "I could stay here for hours, just looking at this awesome view!"

"Me, too," Bosworth chirped cheerfully, sprawling his webbed feet out on the ground. "Ahhh...This spot feels really nice!"

"Mine doesn't," Michelle said with a giggle. "Well, not as nice as yours, anyway!"

"Yeah," Bosworth continued. "It's really soft & fuzzy where I'm sitting..."

"I think your tail is top of something," Michelle told the young wren. "Could you scoot over, so I can see it better?"

"Sure thing!" Bosworth replied, & he moved aside to reveal the object he had been sitting on. Crawling on her paws & knees, Michelle went over to give the thing a closer inspection...&, immediately, she recognized what it was!

"Blanky," Michelle scolded playfully as she picked up the cloth, "what are you doing here? You're supposed to be on my bed!"

"Which reminds me," Bosworth said. "That blanket is one of the items we've been looking for!"

"Gosh, you're right!" Michelle blurted out, still holding her 'blanky' as she scampered off to update the scavenger hunt lists. "It's a good thing you sat where you did, or it would have taken us a lot longer to find it!"

"Thank goodness for small favors," Bosworth quipped.

* * *

Meanwhile, Abigail & Willy were getting closer to the northern edge of Dapplewood Forest, & their search led them to a large hole in the ground. "Wonder where that goes," Abigail mused, as Willy knelt down to peer inside.

"It looks like the entrance to a mineral mine," Willy responded. "Do you think Cornelius hid one of the items in there?"

"I'm sure of it!" Abigail exclaimed. "Let's go down, & take a look!"

Carefully, Abigail & Willy made their way down into the mine shaft, & began searching for any of the items on their scavenger hunt lists. As the two woodmice explored the underground cave, Willy held up a lantern to provide much-needed light, but he & his sister still had to be careful. Mines weren't exactly the safest of places for Furlings to be in...

"You know," Abigail thought aloud, "there's not too many places that you can hide things in a mine. We're most likely to find something in one of the rail carts."

"Good thinking, Abigail," Willy complimented. "Let's check them out!"

And, so, Abigail & Willy went into one of the mine shaft's many tunnels, where a line of wheeled carts stretched along the floor. The two Furlings proceeded to check every cart for items of interest, but it wasn't until they got to the very end of the train that something caught their eyes. In the corner of the "caboose", lay a small pile of differently-colored gemstones, all twinkling brightly in the glow from Willy's lantern.

"Hey," Abigail said excitedly, "that group of gems is one of our items!" Scooping the rainbow rocks into her paws, & placing them in her satchel, the tomboy directed Willy, "Be sure to cross it off!"

"I'm on it, Abby," Willy replied, making the appropriate markings on their scavenger hunt lists. Once that was done, Willy & Abigail turned to look at each other with triumphant smiles on their faces. "Well, looks like our business here is finished!" Willy said. Before the woodmice could say or do anything else, they felt the earth shake violently with a mighty rumble! "W-W-What's going on?" Willy asked fearfully.

"The cave's about to collapse!" Abigail cried. "Come on, let's hurry!"

Carrying their satchel & lists, Abigail & Willy both made a mad dash for the tunnel's exit, but were forced to step back when a heavy shower of rubble fell from the roof, & cascaded to the ground...blocking their only way out. "Crud!" Willy ejaculated in exasperation. "How are we gonna escape?"

It was then that Abigail remembered something she had seen earlier. "One of the other mine carts had a couple of pickaxes in it," Abigail said, her face brightening. "We can use those to dig our way out of here!"

"I love the way you think!" Willy marveled. Abigail rushed over to pick up the pickaxes, & she handed one of the tools to Willy. "Let's get cracking!" Willy said in determination. With that, Abigail & Willy proceeded to strike the pickaxes against the wall of debris, not giving up until they had successfully cleared a path to freedom.

"Let's not tell Cornelius about this little mishap, OK?" Abigail asked sheepishly upon exiting the tunnel.

Wanting to leave the mine before anything else happened, Willy replied, "Let's just worry about getting ourselves out of here first!"

"Fair enough," was Abigail's simple response, as she & Willy hastily hurried for the hole that would lead them back to the surface (& to safety). The two woodmice had certainly had enough adventure for one day, wouldn't you agree?

* * *

Not too long afterward, Russell & Waggs were strolling through another one of Dapplewood's residential areas, where the Hedgehog family lived. "How many freakin' detours are we gonna take on this scavenger hunt?" Waggs complained, highly displeased with the progress of their perusal.

"I promise, Waggs, this is the last one," Russell assured his partner. "My sister Regina is sick, & I wanted to stop by, & see how she was doing."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Waggs said snidely. "Just make it quick, OK?"

As Russell & Waggs got closer & closer to the former's home, they didn't see anything that appeared to be out of place...but their ears perked up to a peculiar noise. "Do you hear that?" Waggs asked, looking around for the source of the sound.

"Yeah," Russell replied, focusing his gaze on the smoking chimney of his house. "It's coming from over there!" Russell & Waggs then took off for the Hedgehogs' place, & after stopping in front of the door, they lifted their gazes upward to find a mechanical object hovering over the exhaust pipe. When they saw said object flapping a pair of green wings, they immediately recognized it as one of the items on their scavenger hunt list-the Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing model!

"Well, that sure was convenient," Waggs remarked.

"Yeah," Russell said. "Now, we just gotta find a way to get that thing down from there!"

And Russell knew how to do just that! The hedgehog quickly rushed into his house, with Waggs following close behind; when the two Furlings got inside the building, they were immediately greeted by Russell's 11 younger siblings-Rosalyn, Ronald, Rex, Ruby, Rollin, Reyelene, Roger, Reese, Rebecca, Rusty, & Roxette-along with his two older siblings, Ricky & Regina. "Ahh, pricklers!" Waggs cried, trying to shake the little hedgehogs away. "Get 'em off me!"

"Hey, guys!" Russell cheerfully said to his brothers & sisters. "Do you know where Mom is?"

"She's cooking soup in the fireplace," Roxette answered. With that in mind, Russell & Waggs hurried over to the hearth, where Susan The Hedgehog was making final preparations for her family's midday meal.

"Russell," Susan exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her son, "you're not supposed to be back for a few more hours! Is something going on at school?"

"No time to explain," Russell responded. "Can you just put out the fire?"

"In a few minutes, dearie," Susan said sweetly. "I'm almost finished cooking..."

"It's really kinda urgent, Mom," Russell tried to explain. "You see, there's something we're looking for, & it's..."

"Aww, whack it!" Waggs griped, taking a nearby bowl of water, & stomping over to the fireplace with it. "We don't have time for this!" Before Russell could stop him, Waggs had already poured the water onto the fire, putting it out with a splash. As soon as the last of the smoke disappeared into thin air, the Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing model came tumbling down through the chimney, & Russell caught the mechanical contraption in his arms.

Just before Russell & Waggs could leave the house with their prize, however, they received a scolding look from Susan, who was not too happy about her kitchen duties being interrupted & interfered with. All the two Furlings could do was blush & smile sheepishly, as they timidly stepped backwards towards the front door. Hopefully, Susan would understand everything when Russell told her about it after school!

* * *

The town square & business district of Dapplewood Forest was bustling with activity, & Edgar & Fuschia did their best not to bump into anybody as they strolled down the dusty streets, looking around for any of the items on their scavenger hunt lists. "We'll need to search every building," Edgar told his partner, "if we're going to find anything."

"You got it, Edgar!" Fuschia said, nodding her head in agreement. "Let's start with the toy store!"

Alas, the toy store had nothing to offer, so Edgar & Fuschia kept searching. They inspected the bookstore, the library, the theater, the clothing store, the art gallery, the apothecary, the post office, the home decoration store, the gardening store, the furniture store, the mayor's office, & the town's only restaurant, but none of the items they were looking for could be found at any of those places. Before giving up, though, Edgar & Fuschia had one more place to look: the hardware store.

Upon entering the building, the two Furlings were greeted by the friendly shopkeeper, a shrew named Talbot. "Hello, Edgar! Hello, Fuschia!" Talbot said cheerfully, waving to his two little visitors. "What brings you to my shop on this fine day?"

"Well," Edgar explained, "we're doing a scavenger hunt for Furling Class today. One of the items we're supposed to be looking for is a hammer, & we think Cornelius hid one of his own hammers here."

"You're more than free to look around," Talbot said graciously, gesturing to the shopping aisles with a sweeping bow. "Let me know if you find anything!"

"Thank you, Talbot," Edgar & Fuschia chirped in unison. With that, the mole & squirrel dashed off to inspect every aisle-just to make sure that Cornelius' hammer wasn't hiding in any unusual or unexpected places. When they were satisfied that nothing was amiss elsewhere, Edgar & Fuschia finally looked at the shelves where the hammers were kept. Taking out the magnifying glass he & his partner had found earlier, Edgar took a close, careful look at the wood on every hammer, checking for any distinctive marks or patterns that might have been made by the tools used to carve the handles & mallets.

"Forgive me for putting undue pressure on you," Talbot said after several minutes, "but could you kindly hasten your search a little? I'm going out on my lunch break, & I have to close up shop for a while..."

"Got it!" Edgar cried triumphantly, holding one of the hammers in the air, & rushing over to Talbot with it. "I've found the hammer that Cornelius snuck into your store!"

"Oh?" Talbot muttered curiously, bending down to gaze at the tool Edgar held up in front of him. "What makes you so sure this hammer is different from any of the others?"

"Because if you look really closely," Edgar replied, "you'll notice that the markings on the wood are quite different from those on your shop's hammers. Only Cornelius' carving knife could have made those distinctive patterns. I should know-I'm more than familiar with his work!"

"My, my," Talbot marveled, "you astonish me with your intelligence, Edgar! I really think you ought to become a detective when you grow up!"

"That _is_ a career prospect I've been thinking about," Edgar replied modestly. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem!" Talbot exclaimed with an ever-widening smile on his face. "Anyway, there's no charges to be paid, so I'll send you two on your merry way. Hope the rest of the scavenger hunt goes well!"

"Thanks a bunch, Talbot!" Edgar & Fuschia said in pleasant unison, before going outside to update their checklists, gather their things, & head off for their next destination.

* * *

" _ **Gloomy skies are turning blue,  
Turning blue, turning blue...  
Gloomy skies are turning blue,  
My fair lady!**_"

Michelle couldn't resist singing this song to herself over & over again, as she skipped merrily through the fields of Dapplewood Meadow. Bosworth was following close behind, carrying the items he & Michelle had collected over the day (as well as their copies of the scavenger hunt list). At one point, Michelle suddenly stopped in her tracks, & pointed towards the blue waters of Dapplewood Lake, which lay only a short distance ahead. "Come on, Bosworth!" Michelle cried excitedly. "Let's go see if we can find something at the lake!"

"Right behind you, Michelle!" Bosworth replied. With that, the two little Furlings dashed off for the pond, & stopped to stand at the water's edge. "Do you see anything?" asked Bosworth, scanning the area with a wing over his bespectacled eyes.

"I think I spot something on that lily pad," Michelle answered, gesturing towards the floating leaf. "It looks like it might be one of the items!" Michelle then waded into the water, & began swimming towards the lily pad...much to Bosworth's astonishment! He had never seen her do that before!

"Wow, Michelle," Bosworth said admiringly, "you're a really good swimmer!"

"Thanks," Michelle replied when she finally reached the lily pad, & crawled onto its surface. Carefully, the little badger rose to her feet, & walked over to the object that she had spotted earlier. Sure enough, it was indeed one of the items on the scavenger hunt list-a sundial! Picking up the timekeeping device in her paws, & holding it high for Bosworth to see, Michelle shouted victoriously, "I got the sundial! I got the sundial!"

"Great, Michelle!" Bosworth congratulated his partner. "Now, just bring it over here!"

It was then that Michelle realized that she wouldn't be able to swim back safely while holding the sundial at the same time. Sporting a sheepish grin, Michelle asked Bosworth, "Could you hand me a stick to paddle this thing with?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Abigail & Willy were at the northern edge of Dapplewood Forest. The two woodmice were exhausted, but exhilarated that their leg of the scavenger hunt was drawing to a close. Before too long, Abigail, Willy, & the other Furlings would be back at Cornelius' house, enjoying the big surprise he had planned for them! It was gonna be absolutely fantastic!

Unfortunately, Willy's festive spirits were soon dampened when he paid closer attention to his surroundings. "Hey, Abigail," Willy told his sister nervously, "a lot of the trees around here are dead." He was not familiar with this part of Dapplewood, & the sight of so much decay & destruction made the skin under his fur crawl; it didn't help that he was reminded of the horrible forest fire that had ravaged his old home at Oakdale Meadow several months earlier...

"I know," Abigail replied gently, hoping to soothe Willy. "Don't worry, though. We won't be here for too long."

"Do you really think we'll find something in this wasteland?" Willy asked incredulously.

"Look at it this way," Abigail said assuringly. "With no vegetation or other cover, any items will be easy to spot!"

After a bit of looking around the grove, Abigail & Willy finally saw something of interest. One of their items was dangling from the upper branches of a dead pine tree, gently swaying in the warm spring breeze. "That's gotta be the jump rope!" Abigail exclaimed. "Now, let's go get it!"

"But how?" Willy wondered aloud. "Those boughs are up awfully high!"

"No worries!" Abigail said. "I've got my trusty rope in my pocket!" After pulling out the cable, Abigail swung back with all of her might, & gave it a good throw. The end of the rope wrapped around the tree's lowest branch, & Abigail proceeded to climb up the makeshift ladder, with Willy scurrying behind her. Once the two woodmice reached the top of the limb, they took the rope, & repeated the same steps with every other branch, until they finally got to the upper boughs. Putting on a triumphant smile as she grabbed the jump rope, Abigail cheered, "Yippee! We got our last item!"

"Awesome!" Willy exclaimed jubilantly. "Now, just how do we get back down from here?"

"No worries, Willy!" Abigail said, as she used the jump rope to fasten her & her brother together at the waist. "I've got it covered!" With Willy holding on tight, Abigail took a parachute out of her pocket, & used it to safely bring them down to the ground.

* * *

A short time later, Russell & Waggs were finishing up their leg of the scavenger hunt. The hedgehog & squirrel walked through a large grove of oak saplings, looking around for any items in the area. At one point, Russell & Waggs saw something peculiar, & they went to take a closer look at it. It turned out to be one of the items on their list-a box of crayons! The only problem was...it was stuck in a spider's web.

"Spiders!" Russell groaned when he saw what he would have to go through to get the crayons. "Why did it have to be spiders?"

"Come on, Russell," Waggs snapped irritatedly, "don't be a wimp!"

"Seriously, I hate spiders!" Russell whined. "They creep me out like you wouldn't believe!"

By now, Waggs was itching to get this scavenger hunt over & done with, & he couldn't take any more "nonsense" from his partner. Grabbing a large stick off the ground, Waggs used his makeshift tool to hack & slash at the spider's web, not letting up until he had seen the box of crayons fall to the grass. "Happy now?" Waggs asked Russell, his words dripping with sarcasm. The squirrel was so caught up in his cloud of dark emotions, he didn't notice that the spider had given him a nasty bite. It was only when Waggs' skin started to itch uncontrollably, that he realized something was amiss...

"Ah, cripes!" Waggs cried out in agony, as he collapsed onto his side. "That spider got me good!" When Waggs' body broke out into a terrible rash, he couldn't resist scratching & clawing at it, even after he had already broken the flesh.

Needless to say, Russell was deeply concerned by his partner's condition. "Are you allergic to spider bites, Waggs?" the hedgehog asked. When Waggs groaned out an affirmative reply, Russell directed, "OK, stay right here! I'm gonna go find a cure for you!"

"Make it quick," Waggs pleaded, "or I might not be around for much longer!"

 _Boy, all this time, I never even knew about Waggs' allergies!_ Russell thought to himself, as he swiftly dashed over to a nearby cluster of various flowers  & herbs. Russell seemed to recall hearing from Cornelius that crushed basil leaves were a quick & effective cure for spider bites; he hoped he could find some among the plants surrounding him. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Russell to find the leaves he was looking for, & after picking a few samples, he scampered back over to Waggs, before kneeling down at his side. Crushing the basil leaves in his paws, Russell told Waggs as honestly (but nicely) as he could, "Now, remember, Waggs, I'm not doing this because I like you. I'm doing this, because it's the right thing to do...& I couldn't live with myself if I let anything bad happen to you."

"Whatever," Waggs begged desperately. "Just give me the frackin' cure!"

After making sure that the basil leaves were properly prepared, Russell proceeded to rub the salve all over the area where Waggs' spider bite was, then followed up by tending to the rash that had broken out over his partner's body. Once the herbal remedy had successfully worked its medicinal magic, Waggs sighed in great relief, & slowly sat up, looking at Russell with a grateful smile. "Thanks, kid," Waggs said, reaching out a paw to tousle Russell's hair. "I owe you one!"

"I'll be sure to remember that," Russell retorted gently as he put the box of crayons into his backpack, "next time you think about picking on me again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Edgar & Fuschia were wrapping up their leg of the scavenger hunt near the eastern border of Dapplewood Forest, where their reptilian friend Candy (along with her family) ran the Chameleon Circus. Thinking one of their items would be found at the entertainment venue, the mole & squirrel stepped into the big, rainbow-colored tent...where they were immediately greeted by Candy & her loved ones. " _Hola, amigos!_ " Candy chirped in her native tongue of Spanish. "How are you today?"

"We're doing great, Candy," Edgar replied cheerfully. "Say, has Cornelius paid you a visit in the last 24 hours?"

"Why, no!" Candy answered with a not-very-convincing veneer of surprise-which was her way of showing that there was more to what was going on than met the eye. "No, I don't believe so!"

"In that case," Fuschia played along, "I think we oughta stay & investigate...just to make sure."

"By all means," Candy said pleasantly, "be my guest, Furlings! The whole circus is yours to explore!"

With that, Edgar & Fuschia proceeded to inspect every nook & cranny of the Chameleon Circus, hoping to find one of their items. As it turned out, there was nothing in any of the three rings, nothing in the audience bleachers, nothing in the bandstand, nothing in the gift shop, nothing in the snack bar, & nothing in the backstage area. The only possible place any of the items could be, was...high above the center ring!

When Edgar realized this, he became gripped with fear, & he started to shake & shiver violently. "Do we have to go all the way up to the trapeze platform?" the mole asked timidly. Heights weren't exactly his favorite thing in the world...

"Don't worry, Edgar," Fuschia told her partner reassuringly. "You'll be all right, I promise." When Edgar's fears remained unassuaged, Fuschia said sweetly, "You know, I'd be more than happy to go up with you, if you wish..."

"That would be very nice!" Edgar said, now starting to feel a lot better (& braver!). "Thanks, Fuschia!"

"No prob, pal!" Fuschia exclaimed. With that, Edgar & Fuschia walked over to the center pole, & climbed up the long ladder leading to the high platform. Once they were on top, the two Furlings carefully looked around for any of the items on their list...& before too long, they finally found one-the fishing rod!

"Well," Edgar declared with a smile of satisfaction, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Nope, not at all!" Fuschia agreed. "Now, do you think we can get ourselves down without any trouble?"

 _That might not be so easy,_ Edgar thought coyly, unable to hide a playful smirk.

* * *

Not too long afterward, Michelle & Bosworth were finishing up their leg of the scavenger hunt. As they made their way back to Cornelius' house, the little badger & wren continued looking for any items that they might have missed earlier. It was then that Bosworth realized something: "There is one place we haven't even looked at!"

When she heard those words, Michelle felt a horrible feeling form in the pit of her stomach. She knew exactly what Bosworth was referring to-she had avoided that place on purpose, as even the very thought of stepping foot there was too painful for her to bear. Now feeling a flood of memories come rushing back to her, Michelle did her best to keep her composure (but with a lot more effort than she'd hoped).

Bosworth couldn't help but notice Michelle's sudden change in attitude, & he was filled with heartfelt concern for his dear friend. "Is everything OK, Michelle?" Bosworth asked gently.

Wiping her moist eyes on her arm, Michelle sniffled a few times...then quickly put on a happy face, & replied as though nothing were wrong, "Sure! Let's go see that place we missed!" But as she followed Bosworth to the overlooked location, Michelle felt her resolve starting to waver, & she prayed, _Please don't let us go inside...Please don't let us go inside!_

As soon as Michelle & Bosworth got to their final stop, Michelle let out a deep sigh of relief when Bosworth took a look at the area, & spotted the very last item laid out right in front of them! "Well, how convenient!" Bosworth said, as he took the framed photograph from its hanging spot on the outside of Michelle's house. "Cornelius didn't even bother hiding the picture-he put it out in plain sight!"

"To tell you the truth," Michelle mused, "I think he did that on purpose..."

"What makes you say that?" Bosworth questioned, going over to his partner with the photograph still in his wings.

"Because this place brings up a lot of memories for me," Michelle explained, holding up the picture so she & Bosworth could look at it together. The photograph showed Michelle & her parents, Oceanus & Robin, in much-happier times; all three badgers were smiling & looking as joyful as can be, with Michelle seated between her mommy & daddy on their shoulders. Now, another flood of memories came rushing back to Michelle...but this time, they made her heart swell with happiness, instead of sorrow. "I remember when that picture was taken," Michelle recollected with a fond smile. "It was the year before the bad gas accident, & my family & I were going on a picnic. Uncle Cornelius had just bought a brand-new camera, & he was having a lot of trouble setting it up." Michelle giggled at the remembrance of her uncle's comical 'catastrophe', then continued, "Finally, my mommy had to go help Uncle Cornelius, & when they were all finished getting the camera ready, we had our picture taken! It was the only photograph ever made of me & my parents..."

"Golly!" Bosworth gasped in astonishment. "The other guys told me that you were affected by the gas leak, but I had no idea that..."

"It's OK," Michelle said sweetly, feeling much less troubled by those dark memories that had been haunting her since the dreadful incident. "It still kinda hurts to talk about it, but I'm getting better every day! Even on my worstest days, I know I can make it through, 'cause Uncle Cornelius always reminds me that healing is one of those things that needs a lot of time to work."

"And Cornelius is exactly right!" Bosworth agreed. "I should know-I've had my share of losses, too."

"I can tell," Michelle said candidly. "I always see your mommy & uncle around, but never your daddy. I guess something happened to him, too?"

"Yep," Bosworth said with a sigh. "My dad died when I was a little chick. He was going out one morning to gather stuff for our nest, but a fox happened to be hunting in the area. Before Papa could fly away to safety, the fox caught him, & ate him. All that was left of my dad, were a few feathers."

"Gee!" Michelle moaned sympathetically, giving Bosworth a big hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"No worries," Bosworth assured his friend. "At least, I know my dad's in a better place now, & he's watching over us even as we speak!"

"That's always the one thing you can count on when somebody leaves you," Michelle said optimistically...before gasping when a sudden realization came to her. "Oh, I just remembered! We need to update our checklists one more time!"

"Say no more, Michelle!" Bosworth exclaimed enthusiastically, as he prepared to make the appropriate markings on their scavenger hunt lists. "I'm on it!"

* * *

Finally, Abigail, Russell, Edgar, Michelle, Willy, Waggs, Fuschia, & Bosworth all made it to the main room of Cornelius' house, where their teacher was waiting for them. "Well, Furlings, did you find all of the items on your lists?" Cornelius asked pleasantly.

"We sure did!" the Furlings all echoed in unison, before revealing all of the gathered objects: the stuffed animal, the tea kettle, the magnifying glass, the book, the pestle & mortar, the picnic basket, the music box, the blanket, the rare gemstones, the Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing model, the hammer, the sundial, the jump rope, the box of crayons, the fishing rod, & the framed photograph. When Cornelius saw all of the items laid out before him, he let out a delighted chuckle, & said, "Well done, Furlings! I think it's high time we had a look at that big surprise I promised you!"

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Abigail told her friends, as they all followed Cornelius outside to see what had been planned for them. Lo & behold, waiting nearby was a giant Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing for all of the Furlings (& Cornelius) to ride in! The Furlings always loved to go for rides in the airship, & this time was certainly no exception! Already, the Furlings were scrambling to get inside the cockpit, & once they were all settled down, Cornelius joined his pupils, seating himself at the back of the aircraft. Russell then took his usual place at the steering wheel, while Abigail & Edgar manned the winder-uppers.

"Are we ready for take-off?" Russell asked his passengers with a beaming smile. When everyone else made their eager replies, their captain cried adventurously, "All right, then! Off we go!" Abigail & Edgar both began to crank the winder-uppers, causing the wings of their vessel to flap up & down. Within a few seconds, the Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing rose into the air, & took off for the skies! As the Furlings' joyride progressed, the young animals couldn't help but thank Cornelius for providing the perfect cap-off to their best assignment ever!

THE END


End file.
